What Is Your Authentic Self

As I was growing up my mother often said to me, when will you stop wearing your heart on your sleeve? And it perplexed me. After all, wasn’t that what life was all about?

Don”t we want to be showing and sharing our love?

Have you been told that also? How did you react to it?

After a while for me, it felt stifling. I wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. So I found myself not standing always in my own heart light. And yet that did not seem to feel right either. So it became my search to find what is my authentic self.

Which leads me to this question of what is our authentic self?
And how do we know when we are truly living in it?

Definition of Authentic Self

For many of us we have learned to be defined by external sources, our parents, our schools, our community.

Dom Miguel Ruiz in his book The Book of Knowledge, talks about how we became separated from our own inner truth.

He explains it as deciding to take from The Book of knowledge instead of the Tree of Life. Have you read this book yet? If not it is a quick read that is truly illuminating.

The book of knowledge as he explains it has the narrator called the Prince of Lies. This is the external societal voice that tells us as young children who we are.

And since it is coming from our world of parents, and relatives and school, we think they are the experts.

So we not only listen, we take it in. We then become what society is telling us we are. And therein lies so many problems for all of us.

How many of us have entered a profession because we were doing what our parents wanted us to do? And how has that impacted us?

But just think if we did not start out that way? What kind of freedom would we have experienced? The ability to truly explore on our own who we really are. Without being defined from the outside.

I remember as a child/adolescent, I was such a voracious reader. And I would go down to the nearby creek, climb a tree with a book in hand. And would just spend hours loving the tree, the creek and the book.

But my mother did not think that was a worthwhile way to be. And she began to, I am sure unintentionally, label me as lazy, a dreamer and self-involved.

And after a bit, I heard that. It started making its way into my sense of self.
And when I was young, I did what I know now as astral traveling. So I could be anywhere, without really understanding where or why I was there.

And I would have conversations inside my own world with people that I had not a clue who they were. But they showed me wisdom and clarity and another side of the Universes’ gifts.

And although it felt so comfortable and familiar to me, it was not suitable for being productive. And hence the label daydreamer.

So as an adult, I became a bit of an overachiever with projects, work and long hours. And after a bit, it made me less then authentic.

And we all know why, because I had hidden that part of me that wanted to just experience art, and nature and possibility and simple connection of Spirit and our world.

Have you had this experience?
So it is my quest for all of us to truly see deep into our inner hearts. To see our own beauty. To dissect what is our truth vs what is the pressure that has been put on us and defined by society.

So how are you living in your own true self?

What has impacted you the most as your Prince of Lies stories? And how have you dispelled them?

Meditation

To find ourselves we have to give permission to sit in the stillness. We know that everything we need is there. It is our complete connection to Spirit and our inner heart.

So how do we get there?

Find a comfortable place to sit.
And do three deep breaths.

Let them out slowly.
Then close your eyes.

As you see the darkness with your eyes closed, ask the Universe to
show you what your true heart looks like.

And then wait for the answer.
It might come as a visual or with words.

If at first you feel like nothing is happening.

Just sit with it a while.
Focus on your heart. And soon you will get

some sort of answer.

What ever comes up, just love it.

And hold that thought or image.

Once you have gotten that information start breathing into it.
And give it life. Feel how it feels. Feel the joy, the freedom

the expansive sense of heart truth.
This is your heart song.

It is gorgeous. It is yours.

Celebrate it, and hug it close to you.

Remember to do this 3 times a week.
We want to make sure we are giving our inner heart song all the love it is needing.

Let me know how this works for you please!

Words of Affirmation

I heard this sung recently at a meditation gathering.
You can do each day. Look into the mirror and say it: or sing it. It feels so life affirming.
I behold you beautiful one

Summary

Navigating through this maze of what is external vs what is our own inner truth, is sometimes an epic battle. But it has it most amazing rewards.

As we decide to truly explore who are as our authentic selves, we will find new thoughts popping up. And loads of ease and joy. And it takes courage to release what our externalized world has decided we are.

So when we have that option to compose our own heart song, Spirit is there to guide us. We are not doing this alone.

And it is with loving compassion that we find our way back to our own symphony. And for that we live in gratitude and joy for the gift that Spirit has given us.

I wish all of us this journey to self, and do it sooner than later. It is so worth it, we are all worth it.

I would love to hear about your journey. So do let me know please.

In peace and gratitude,

Founder, CEO, success-full-living.com, living one heart-centric moment at a time

12 thoughts on “What Is Your Authentic Self”

Ariel,
A great thought provoking article. I think it is important for everyone to be true to themselves and not try and be what someone else wants us to be. It is important to be authentic and true to ourselves and in the long run, I think we will be much happier.
Lisa

Wow that’s great when I came to know “I remember as a child/adolescent, I was such a voracious reader. And I would go down to the nearby creek, climb a tree with a book in hand. And would just spend hours loving the tree, the creek and the book.” that’s a great thing to do. I can see the results now in your life amazing.

Hello Paul, oh I am so happy to hear that. Although knowing you I don’t think you needed much inspiration.So glad you enjoyed the post. Looking forward to chatting with you again. I am so glad you popped by. IN peace and gratitude, ariel

Dreams are what keeps us motivated and helps us to grow beyond our imaginations. success begins with us, and if we can worker harder on ourselves than we do on our jobs, then the battle has one.

Making decisions was though growing up, especially if you are surrounded by so many loved ones. They always seems to know what’s best for you, that it gives you little time to think for yourself. getting away and observing silent moments as you suggested will definitely help, there is where you would find the true answer as you search and listen within your inner being.

What an inspiring and motivating article, which helps me to search myself and find the true meaning on why I am here. Life is truly wonderful which I am grateful for, as I travel on this journey being guided along the way, I would always remember that I am not alone. Thank you for this, Ariel, it is true Success Full Living.

Hello David, I know your search is going so well. And yes we are never alone. We just have to open our hearts just a bit more to see all the love that we are being bestowed. I would really like to hear more about your journey please.And I wish you lovely moments of inspiring stillness. It is a most gorgeous place. So glad you are here. In peace and gratitude, ariel

Hi Ariel, I love your post as your childhood has similarities to mine. I have been a voracious reader since the age of 5. I would attempt to read books way beyond my understanding. I would climb up into a tree and read to get away from others sometimes. My mother did not understand my interest in reading as she was illiterate herself. She would give me chores when she noticed I was reading again. I found ways, in trees, under my covers at night with a flashlight and even in an old chicken coop! LOL! I had to clean out that dirty dusty little shack first! All that reading has also blossomed into writing. I am a fellow writer with you in WA, and have turned my writing and reading skills into building websites there, with the hopes of turning them into businesses. I have to say you are the most positive person I have ever met! I am honoured to fellowship with you 🙂

Hello Madeleine, I am so happy to meet you. And thanks so much for stopping by. So we do share similar stories to read, yes? So enjoyed hearing your story. And you are so right, all that reading did help us to become writers. I so hope we get to chat again soon. Thank you so much for reaching out to me. And your kinds words truly mean a lot to me. In peace and gratitude, ariel

Hi Ariel,
It is another nice article. To become authentic self and live the life we really want are challenge to reach. We are not only defined by self, but also being defined from the outside. It is nice to being yourself: just wake up and do what you want to do. In reality, we tend to stifle our authentic selves to fit in, which suppress our creativity and ingenuity.

Hello Anthony, I think that is so true, and yet it does not work, so why do we do it? I think that is the gift of this life to truly now what our own purpose it. And yes to no more stifling! Thank you so much for being here. IN peace and gratitude, ariel

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